Reader letter: Monorail the only choice for Norwich

PUBLISHED: 13:27 08 December 2018 | UPDATED: 13:27 08 December 2018 Derek Battle, Bulwer Close, Buxton Could a mono-rail come to Norwich? Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto iSailorr This reader thinks a monorail in Norwich would be a good fit for the city. The environmental impact of internal combustion engines will increase in the coming years. Planning departments will continue to instigate the creeping pedestrianisation of Norwich city streets, additional cycle lanes will be added to roadways already segregated by bus and taxi lanes to the demise of the private motorist. One solution for “A Fine City” would be a rapid transit system such as an electric-powered monorail. The monorail could be suspended above the outer ring road and the NDR. It would connect areas of high population density such as Thorpe Marriott and Thorpe St Andrew with high-usage venues such as the airport, hospital, train station, park and ride car parks, and areas such as the future housing development at Rackheath. The radial arms could follow the river Wensum from Drayton and Trowse to a station at, or near, to the main railway station and the city centre (possibly on top of Castle Mall or Chapelfield Mall). This will not be a cheap option but with the likely banning of all but electric vehicles from our city streets in the future, it could provide the only viable alternative to the park-and-ride buses in getting workers and customers into Norwich city centre in a timely and cost-effective manner.